Alan's mother raised him on a solid diet of Frank Zappa and The Beatles, so classic rock is the cornerstone of his aesthetic. In the late '90s, he formed an unhealthy addiction to used records and he fell into hip-hop, indie and alt-rock, and all manner of electronica (from breakcore to techno, skipping funky house). Recently, he's been feeling a lot of classical, breaks, glitch, downtempo, illbient, instrumental hip-hop, and psychedelia. His most heartfelt beliefs include equality of the races, sexes, and religions, healthcare, childcare, that housing and education should be a right for everyone on the planet, and that music should be nurtured as a powerful force for change. In his professional life, taking a cue from his heroes George Carlin, Bill Hicks, and Lester Bangs, his goal is to be brutally honest and reasonably fair. Since he started writing reviews for RateYourMusic in 2002, he has gone on to write for such publications as PopMatters, TinyMixTapes, The Skinny, and The Nerve Magazine. After some time away from school to earn life experience points, he is now back and working towards a BFA in contemporary music at Simon Fraser University.